Hold On to His Promises
We have all had moments where we feel overwhelmed and discouraged or perhaps you have been in a dark valley for some time and you wonder if you will ever come through. Sometimes it seems like the battle will never end. I have a word of encouragement for you; you are not alone.
In those deepest darkest moments we have a decision to make of whether we are going to remain there or turn it all over to God who is standing and saying, “Let Me handle this. Trust me and walk by faith.”
Letting go of the control we think we have is difficult. We think if we try a little harder, stay a little longer or take a different approach we can stay in control and make it work out the way we want it to. It’s when we take the situation into our own hands that we have added to the trouble.
That is where David found himself in 1 Samuel 27. He was discouraged and weary of running from King Saul and he didn’t trust that the chase would cease after their last encounter. But David thought to himself, “One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.”
David had been anointed by God to be the future King of Israel, but that promise was fading from his mind when he made the decision to seek refuge with his enemy rather than from God. He was tired and in his mind his giants had become bigger than his God.
Have you ever felt that way? Discouraged and tired? When life gets hard and our troubles seem monumental we can feel that there are no solutions to our problems. But there is!
Encouragement is found in 1 Peter 5:8-11, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
You are not alone! Other believers are experiencing the same things we go through and just as David had a promise that in time he would be king, we have the promise that God will restore us, make us strong, firm and steadfast.
We also have the same choice that David did. Will we give way to discouragement and turn from the promises or will we believe and trust in God and let Him handle the situation for us?
David experienced many additional hardships because of his choice to seek refuge with the enemy. In time God rescued him from that choice but it didn’t come without scars and growing pains.
Wherever you are today I want to encourage you that God sees and knows. His promise is for you and He is more than capable of handling anything that the enemy throws at you.
Let the enemy prowl around because he is powerless compared to our God. We have the power to resist him by standing firm in our faith and in God’s perfect timing He will restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
My Prayer
Father, I thank you for Your words of promise. You are bigger than our giants and Lord You are powerful and mighty. The enemy has no power in Your presence and I pray that we will choose Your presence and protection over taking control for ourselves. Help us to trust in Your word and know that in time as we resist the enemy he will flee and Lord You will restore us and make us stronger. I pray that those reading this today will be strengthen in Your promise and be encouraged in Your love. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Where does my help come from?
1 Peter 5:8-11
Be self-controlled and alert Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.